All Saints Church is a multi-generational Christian community located in the heart of Sidmouth. The church serves a diverse congregation, from young families to centenarians, and is committed to being a place of spiritual refuge, welcome, and support. Beyond worship, All Saints plays an active role in the wider community and is now taking important steps to align its environmental impact with its values.
In 2024, All Saints Church sought support to assess and reduce its carbon emissions as part of a broader commitment to environmental stewardship. The church was particularly interested in applying for funding and needed to establish a formal Carbon Reduction Plan. Their key objectives included lowering operational emissions, improving energy efficiency, and supporting the local community through a greener, more sustainable building.
Carbon Sense worked closely with the team at All Saints Church to measure their carbon footprint and using the results to develop a robust Carbon Reduction Plan.
Support included:
- A review to identify key emission sources and reduction opportunities.
- Collection and analysis of Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions data, including energy usage, mileage, water, and waste.
- Drafting of a tailored carbon report and action plan outlining high-impact projects such as:
- Installation of solar panels and battery storage
- Insulation upgrades for the hall roof
- Transition to 100% green electricity
- Exploration of alternatives to gas heating
- Consideration of EV charge points
In addition, Carbon Sense provided energy procurement support to ensure that savings and sustainability targets could be met immediately:
- Placed two electricity meters on a renewable tariff, securing savings of approximately £1,503 per year, or £3,006over a two-year contract.
- Moved two gas meters to a standard tariff with British Gas, achieving significant cost reductions of around £5,236 per year, or £10,472 over two years.
- Set up access to an energy portal, allowing All Saints Church to monitor and manage their usage data more effectively.
All Saints Church now has a clear and actionable Carbon Reduction Plan, enabling them to:
- Proceed confidently with any grant application
- Plan the installation of low-carbon technologies
- Reduce future energy costs and carbon footprint through both building upgrades and strategic energy procurement
- Access live energy data, improving operational visibility
- Strengthen their role as a sustainable community hub
The process has helped the church build internal awareness around sustainability and provided a practical roadmap toward net zero, while delivering immediate and measurable cost savings.
